Spencer's comments draw ire of OSU's Meyer

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is disappointed in the comments made by wide receiver Evan Spencer about the team's BCS competition.

BY Todd PorterCantonRep.com staff writer

Remember reading what Evan Spencer had to say about Ohio State's competition for the BCS? You may want to clip it out of the paper; Alabama and Florida State probably will.

No one is likely to hear from Spencer for a long time.

The Ohio State wide receiver was being playful when he said the Buckeyes would "wipe the field" with the top BCS national championship competition. He was smiling, perhaps not joking, but being confidently playful.

Then he took to Twitter to apologize and point out he was smiling.

Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer still isn't happy with the way Spencer handled it.

"I was very disappointed," Meyer said. "I can't stand that. Our players are taught — I talked to Evan. He was smiling when he said it, but he's certainly not the spokesman for our team. Evan won't talk to the media for a long, long time. You don't do that. That's not good sportsmanship and that's not what we expect.

"I understand he's a young man and made a minor mistake. We don't do that. You talk about your teammates, and your team and you move on."

The third-ranked Buckeyes, almost every week, are asked more about their schedule than that week's opponent. Saturday, Ohio State plays Illinois, which is winless in the Big Ten. OSU is fighting for its BCS national title life each week.

Meyer doesn't want distractions.

However, maybe there is a small piece of Meyer that likes that his players have confidence in their team.

"What he believes and what goes on inside our locker room doesn't need to be in the papers," Meyer said. "I don't like disrespecting other teams."

Meyer said he talks to his players usually after games because that is when most of them are available to the media. He advises them to talk about teammates and Ohio State, or being respectful of the team they just played.

"That's the right thing to do," Meyer said.

What Ohio State needs to do the rest of the way — against Illinois, Indiana and Michigan to finish the season — is win big against unranked, outmatched teams.

"We all expect them to play ... at a very high level," Meyer said. "You're in the same breath as some very, very good teams. To maintain status quo, you have to play very well."

A win Saturday would be OSU's 22nd win in a row. That would tie the school record for consecutive wins. Absent of a major letdown or upset, the Buckeyes could finish the regular season with 24 straight wins.

It isn't something Meyer said they talk about much.

"I think it does (mean something)," Meyer said. "We have not spent much time talking about it, but because of the incredible tradition at this school, we'll address it if it occurs. Any time a player plays at Ohio State and you can make a dent in this tradition, that's certainly worthy of being recognized."